Paper flower and method of making same

ABSTRACT

THIS IS A PAPER FLOWER MADE FROM A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR STACKED SHEETS OF TISSUE THE LONG EDGES OF WHICH THE STACKK OF SHEETS IS FOLDED ALTERNATELY ALONG EQUALLY SPACED PARALLEL LINES PERPENDICULAR TO THE LONG EDGES, THE FOLDED SHEETS ARE SECURED AT THEIR CENTER BY MEANS OF A WIRE SIMULATING A FLOWER STEM, THE FOLDED SHEETS FANNED OUT IN A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR SHAPE AND THEN THE SHEETS ARE LIFTED AND RUFFLED FROM THE TOPMOST SHEET TO THE BOTTOMMOST SHEET TO SIMULATE THE PETALS OF A FLOWER.

I Feb. 23, 1971 w. E. JASON .PAPER FLOWER AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 14, 1968 INVENTOR. WILLIAM E. JASON ATTORNEYS PAPER FLOWER AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 14, 1968 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM E. JASON TLMLJT ATTORNEYS United States Patent 0 3,565,736 PAPER FLOWER AND METHOD OF I MAKING SAME William E. Jason, Altherton, Calif., assignor to Bemiss- Jason Corporation, Palo Alto, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Nov. 14, 1968, Ser. No. 775,745 Int. Cl. A4lg N00 US. "Cl. 161-30 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This is a paper flower made from a plurality of substantially rectangular stacked sheets of tissue the long edges of which the stack of sheets is folded alternately along equally spaced parallel lines perpendicular to the long edges, the folded sheets are secured at their center by means of a wire simulating a flower stem, the folded sheets fanned out in a substantially circular shape and then the sheets are lifted and ruflled from the topmost sheet to the bottommost sheet to simulate the petals of a flower.

This invention relates to paper flowers and more particularly to the construction of a paper flower and a method for making a paper flower.

Flowers and other decorative objects made from paper are well-known in the art. However, such items have had only limited acceptance primarily because their use has been limited to often crude applications. In particular, paper flowers have not been popular because of the real problems associated with variations in size, color, shape and other features of such decorative items.

The present invention was designed to yield wide varieties of paper flowers and, in addition, to offer the do-it-yourself housewife an opportunity to utilize her imagination in decorating her home. This is accomplished in the design by the use of a paper flower construction which may be offered as such and by the use of a method of making paper flowers together with a kit of the required material upon which the method may be practiced.

In the present invention a paper flower is made from a plurality of superposed rectangular sheets of tissue, the long edges of the sheets being contoured or scalloped to simulate the outer edges of flower petals. The superposed sheets having been folded, alternately upward and downward along a plurality of equally distant spaced apart parallel lines perpendicular to the longitudinal scalloped edges, the folded sheets secured together at the center thereof by a simulated flower stem, and the folded sheets expanded to form an arcuate disc secured at the center by the simulated stem, the sheets may then be lifted and ruffled in sequence from one face of the arcuate disc to simulate the petals of a flower. The sheets of tissue may be colored so that the entire flower is of one color or, preferably, each sheet of the plurality of sheets may be of a different, complementary color graduated from the top of the stack of sheets to the bottom thereof so that the flower will have a more natural, attractive appearance with a graduated color from its center to its outer edges.

A kit for practicing the method of the present invention would contain all of the materials required for making a number of the flowers of the present invention. A typical kit would contain a number of stacks of color coordinated tissue so that decorative colored paper flowers may be made therefrom. The typical kit would also contain simulated flower stems made from bendable wire colored green to give a more natural appearance to the resulting flower.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stack of tissue sheets which are made into the paper flower of the present invention;

3,565,736 Patented Feb. 23, 1971 FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the stacked sheets accordion folded;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the folded sheets secured by the end of the simulated stem;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the folded sheets fanned out to form a corrugated disc; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the paper flower resulting from lifting and rufliing the sheets.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which the same reference numerals refer to corresponding parts of each of the several views, the stack of tissue sheets is shown generally in FIG. 1. The stack 10 comprises a plurality of individual sheets 12 having a substantially rectangular shape. The longitudinal edges 14 of the sheets are scalloped, that is they are cut out to form scallops 16 which simulate the edges of the flower petal in the final form of the paper flower. In FIG. 1 a plurality of broken lines 18 is shown to indicate the preferred location of the fold lines when the stack is folded upward and downward in an accordion fold.

The stack 10 is folded alternately upward and downward along the fold lines 18 which lines cross the narrow width of the stack from the cleft 17a on one side of the stack to cleft 17b on the other side. A corrugated stack as is shown in FIG. 2 results. The corrugated, accordion folded stack of sheets is then compressed and secured at the center of the folded stack by means of a wire 20 bent back upon itself to form a hook 22 within which the pack of folded sheets may be received. After the pack is secured within the hook 22 as is illustrated in FIG. 3, the folds are fanned out to form a corrugated circular disc 24, as shown in FIG. 4, secured at the center thereof by the hook 22 of the stem.

If the sheets 12 are colored so that there are complementary colors ranging from a light shade on one side of the pack to a darker shade at the bottom of the pack and the lightest color is uppermost when the pack is secured by means of the hook 22, the flower will have a light colored center with dark edges when the sheets are individually ruflied. The actual paper flower is formed from the corrugated disc by lifting each petal individually and ruffling the tissue starting with the topmost tissue sheet. The ruffling of the paper and the lifting of the individual scallops 16 at the edges of each sheet will form the general shape of the flower 26. The flower may then be shaped by arranging the individual petals to suit the artistic taste of the person making the flower.

The colors of the tissue sheet may be varied depending upon the requirements of the use to which the flowers will be put and also depending upon the taste of the flower maker. Thus, an all white flower may be made by utilizing white tissue, striking combinations of colors may be utilized which bear no resemblance to natural flowers, or subtle variations from a light to a dark shade of a single color may be utilized as well. A kit for making such flowers may have an assortment of colored sheets with the longitudinal edges of the sheets scalloped or plain to permit a. greater variation of petal shape if that is desired by the purchaser. Simulated stems made of easily bendable wire with the hook 22 preformed at one end thereof may be added to such a kit in order to make the construction process that much more simple. In addition, green, heavyweight glazed paper may be added in order to permit the simulation of the calyx of the flower. The result of practicing the present invention is an attractive paper flower suitable for decorative use in any manner, the use of which is limited only by the ingenuity of those constructing such flowers.

In an embodiment of the invention, a stack of rectangular tissue sheets has its opposite longer edges scalloped, with rounded outer edges and clefts between the seallops. The size of the scallops is selected so that the fold lines across the narrow section of the tissue stack will extend from the cleft on one edge to the complementary one on the opposite edge. The scallops serve to form the outer edges of the simulated petals when the sheets are rufiled after the folding and fanning steps are carried out. The scallops also serve as fold guides to speed the folding process. Thus, the scalloped edge sheets may be easily folded and made into the paper flowers of the present invention by even an inexperienced person.

I claim:

1. A paper flower comprising a plurality of superposed, equally sized sheets of tissue paper, said sheets contoured along opposite longitudinal edges thereof to simulate the ends of flower petals, said sheets gathered together along a plurality of equidistantly spaced apart parallel lines substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal edges; securing means holding said gathered sheets together at the center thereof, said securing means simulating the stern of the flower, said gathered sheets expanded at the unsecured edges thereof to form an arcuate disc secured at the center thereof by the simulated stem; said sheets lifted and ruflled from one face of the disc, so that said ruflled sheets form an overlapping series of rufiles simulating petals from the center thereof to the bottommost sheet.

2. The paper flower of claim 1 wherein each sheet is a dilferent color so that the superposed sheets of tissue are in graduated, complementary colors, with the result that the paper flower has graduated color from the center to the circumference thereof.

3. The method of making paper flowers comprising: superposing a plurality of sheets of tissue paper, said tissue paper having parallel edges thereof formed to simulate flower petal edges, folding said sheets alternately upward and downward along lines perpendicular to the formed edges, securing said sheets at the center thereof with a simulated stem, opening said folded sheets about the secured center thereof to form a corrugated disc, then lifting and rufliing each sheet in sequence from one face of the disc to simulate the petals of a flower.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the formed parallel edges of the tissue sheets are scalloped, the scallops having clefts therebetween, and the scallops on the opposite edges being aligned so that the folding of the sheets is along lines extending across the sheets from the cleft between each scallop on one edge to the complementary cleft between scallops on the opposite edge.

5. The paper flower of claim 1 and including a green colored bottom sheet on the stack for simulating the calyx of a flower.

6. The method of claim -3 wherein there is included a green colored sheet under the plurality of tissue paper sheets for simulating the calyx of a flower.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,818,578 8/1931 Pedersen 161-30 2,631,396 3/1953 Holmes et al. 161-30 1,942,174 1/1934 Kaplan 161-30 1,879,677 9/1932 Gockel 16130 2,112,723 3/1938 Wisolf 16l28X PHILIP DIER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 161-128 

